Improvement in calendar-clocks



B. B. LEWIS.

Calendar Clock. No. 85,456. Patented Dec. 29, 1868.

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arsaw BENJAMIN B. LEWIS, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 85,456, dated Decmnbe'r 29, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN CALENDAR-CLOCKS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the lame.

To all whom it ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. LEWIS, of Bristol, in the county of Hartford, State of Connecticut,-

, use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation, showing the back of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the blank of which the yielding click-lever is formed.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the lever hung in its frame.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the arbor to which I attach the lever.

Figure 6 is a view of one of the compensation-wheels.

Figure 7 is a view of another compensation or February-wheel.

Figure 8 is a view of the same as originally made.

Figure 9 is a view of a numeration and notationwheel.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention consists in several improvements in the mode of constructing, and two in the working-parts of a calendar patented'by me, February 4, 1862, which improvements I will proceed to describe.

a designates a wing on the click-lever b, which I now press all of one piece, as shown in fig. 3, and then bend or form the wing it in its position, as shown in figs. l and 4.

In the original calendar, this wing a was pressed in a separate piece, and then riveted on to lever b.

This mode was not only expensive, but riveting swaged the metal, and it was with difficulty brought into its proper place, whereas, by the improvement, a simple former makes every lever b exactly the same.

In fig.-5, l designates a bearing for a pivot, which is fastened into the front plate 12- of the calendar.

2 designates a tenon, which is placed in a hole, made to receive it, in the lever b, when the end of tenon 2 is upset, thus firmly securing the lever 12 on the arbor, fi 5.

3 designates a pivot, the bearing for which is in the back plate f.

In the original, I placed a stud or post firmly in front plate h. One end of this stud was turned smaller than the rest, to form a shoulder and bearing for the lever b, which lever I bush'ed with thick metal, and then placed the bushing on the bearing on the end of the stud, and held it in place by a pin running through the stud.

The improved mode does not give the lever b as much side-motion as the original did, and works with greater accuracy.

c designates a double spring, secured to a stud, d.

e designates a slug, which has been punched from the stud d, and holds spring 0 in its place. To do so, I place the spring 0 with the stud d over it, and then place both over a square or rectangular die, or any shaped die having sufiicient angles to prevent the spring 0 from turning on slug e, and then, by suitable gauges, bring the stud d and spring 0 into theirproper position. Then cause the punch to descend until the slug from spring 0 is in the die, and the lower end of slug c from stud d is pushed through the spring 0, when the punch should be made to ascend, and the spring a is ast.

This is not only a very cheap mode of fastening the spring 0, but it brings every spring 0 into its place with great accuracy.

In the old style, the spring 0 was riveted with two rivets, which swaged the metal, and caused the spring 0 to twist out of its proper place.

f designates the back plate.

9 g g designate pillars that support the same.

These pillars are provided with a tenou on each end.

The teuons of one end of pillars g g g are first placed in holes, made to receive them, in the front plate h, and their ends upset.

After the movement is put in its place, I put the back plate f on the pillars gr g g, when the 'same is held in its place by suitable pins running through the outer ends of pillars y g g.

In the original, the pillars g g g were not used. A simple bridge, or a piece of metal, with a knee, bent near one end, and secured, by screws, tothe front plate 11., was all that held the movement together. This was very unreliable, as a light blow, by accident or otherwise, would bend it out of shape, and obstruct theworking of the calendar.

The four above-described improvements relate wholly to the mode of constructing the calendar, and do not, in any way, (except to make it stronger and more reliable,) change the principle of the working-parts.

My first improvement in the working of the calcudar consists in providing a step or notch in the points of the teeth of wheel, fig. 9, which wheel is a numeration and notation-wheel, and can be used in many mathematical instruments.- It is represented in fig. 9 with seventeen teeth, and may be used with any number of teeth, when used in mathematical instruments,

but, when used in a calendar, it should have but twelve.

G designates an arm on lever 11, which receives the actuating-power from the block, which is arranged, by suitable gears, to actuate the lever I) once in tweutyfour hours. I

As the lover I) is actuated, the jointed end, or pawl i, of lever 1) moves the wheel D one tooth, and is drawn back by suitable springs. Thus, each day, the wheels D and E move a given distance, until the hooked wire spring on on wheel E comes in contact with the under side of spring 0, when it (spring m) is brought down into one of the small notches in the teeth of wheel A, and turns wheel A until the hooked wire spring 'm. passes fiom under spring a.

The notches in the teeth of wheel A are large enough to receive the end of the hooked wire spring m, while spring 0 constantly bears on and holds wheel A from slipping on the shaft F.

When wheel A is constructed without the notches in the ends of the teeth, as it was in the original, the spring 0 drops near the bottom of the teeth of wheel A before the hooked Wire spring m passes from under spring 0.

When spring m passed spring 0, the end of spring 0 was as far from the straight part of the teeth of wheel A as the thickness of the end of spring on, thus leaving wheel A loose, and it would occasionally be moved by the weight of the pointer, when the pointer would not point accurately to the right month onthe dial.

' The second improvement in workingparts consists in making the notch in the February-wheel E of peculiar shape, as shown in fig. 7.

As the lever b is actuated,.the ends of wing a rest on the periphery of wheels B and E.

When the notches in both of these wheels are brought simultaneously under wing a, it drops into them, and causes the pawl i to draw back over two or more teeth in wheel D, according to the depth of the notch that may be under the wing (0. Thus, when the pawl iis again actuated, the wheel D and its pointer move two or more days.

In setting this calendar, it is often actuated by hand until the proper month and day are given on the dial. On the 28th -day of February, the wing 11 drops into the bottom of the notch of wheel E at point 4. If the pawl i is actuated by hand, the operator often draws it back only enough to move the wheel D one be caught (if not raised far enough) on the hollow between points (i and 7, and bend wing a, thus destroying the working of the. calendar, and few persons unacquainted with it would know the cause of its failure, and consequently not know how to repair it.

\Vhen the pawl i was actuated by the clock, it was always raised sufiicient to avoid this accident. In the improved wheel E, this accident can never occur, whether actuated by hand or otherwise.

The other parts of this calendar are the same asin the original, and not a part of this invention. Therefore I consider it unnecessary to describe them.

I By myinvention, I producea calendar which is strong, and durable, and accurate in all its working-parts.

What I claim as new, and desire to'secnre by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination and arrangement of the steps or notches in wheel A with spring 0 and hooked wire spring m, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. Making the notch in wheel E straight and full from points 5 to 7 when said wheel is combined with wing a. of lever b, and the other working-parts of this calendar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. Making the lever 12, fig. 3, all of one piece of metal, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The arbor, fig. 5, with its bearing 1, pivot 2, and tenon 3, in combination with and secured to lever b, substantially as and for the purpose described.

The combination of stud (1, spring a, and slug 6, all arranged and secured together, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. y The combination of plate h, pillars g g g, platef, and wheels A B D E, socket G, and shaft F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

BENJAMIN. B. LEWIS.

Witnesses H. BBCKWITH, Janus SHEPERD. 

